BMX National Championship puts island on cycling map
ORACABESSA, St Mary — Competitive cycling in Jamaica will be wheeling its way into the spotlight at the inaugural Jamaica Bicycle Motocross (BMX) National Championship.
The Eden Park BMX track in Jack’s River, Oracabessa, will be coming alive today as riders from across the island are set to compete. Eden Park received a boost from the Digicel Foundation last year when it was resurfaced to meet international standards.
The Jamaica BMX National Championship is the first high profile event to be held on the newly resurfaced track and is being staged by BMX Jamaica — an affiliate of the Jamaica Cycling Federation — in collaboration with the Oracabessa Foundation and Singletrack Jamaica.
The championship will see young riders aged 9-18 competing in ‘Challenge Categories’, winners of which will be crowned national champions. There is also an ‘Elite Category’ for riders who are licensed with the Jamaica Cycling Federation and are the fastest in the sport.
“I am expecting between 30 and 50 riders in the challenge categories for the championship,” said Jonathan Gosse, executive director of the Oracabessa Foundation. “We should have around 8 to 10 elite riders.”
BMX champion Maliek Byndloss will be among the elite riders as he seeks to earn qualifying points on his road to representing Jamaica at the 2016 Olympics. The 19-year-old is a two-time World Champion, seven-time USA cycling champ and seven-time National Champion. He finished the 2013 season as the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) number six-ranked junior rider in the world, and switched his riding allegiance from the United States to Jamaica.
“Depending on the level of the race, riders earn points towards their attempt to qualify for the Olympics. All National Championships earn riders UCI points,” said Gosse.
“The great thing is the Jamaican National Championship earns the same number of points as the United States National Championship or any other country for that matter.”
Byndloss will have to earn UCI racing points to qualify for the Summer Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
